Gonzalo Campos

Gonzalo Campos

How do adults learn a second language? How is this similar to and different from how children learn languages?

These are the questions that guide Campos's research as a Ph.D. candidate in second language acquisition. By studying how adults learn a second language, Campos hopes to understand more about the way language is organized in the mind. This type of work can also inform other areas of cognitive research and provide useful information for foreign language pedagogy.

Campos is pleased with his experience at Iowa. "The quality of the professors is outstanding, and their interest in seeing us grow is both challenging and supportive," Campos said.

Campos earned a bachelor's degree in English literature and linguistics at the Universidad Católica de Chile in 2000. He came to The University of Iowa in 2003 and earned a master's degree in linguistics two years later. "The city of Iowa City has had a positive impact on my development. Its multicultural character is something rarely found in such a harmonious way," Campos said.